Constitution of the Protestant Reformed Church of the Canton of St. Gallen (VERK) - Confession (VERK)

1. The Evangelical Reformed Church of the Canton of St. Gallen professes itself as a member of the universal Christian Church, to the Gospel of Jesus Christ according to the Holy Scripture of the Old and New Testaments. It considers itself as one of the churches that emerged from the Reformation and were renewed and continuously to be renewed based on the Holy Scripture.

1. The Evangelical Reformed Church of the Canton of St. Gallen recognizes its mission as proclaiming Jesus Christ as the head of the Church and the Lord of the world, and through its service-oriented actions, to bear witness to the inaugurated Kingdom of God.

1. As a people's church, the Evangelical Reformed Church of the Canton of St. Gallen includes all residents who belong to an Evangelical Reformed parish. As Christians, they are called to participate and share responsibility in the church and the world due to the general priesthood.

1. The cantonal church is established on the St. Gallen Evangelical Reformed Church congregations.

2. It creates the temporal order necessary for fulfilling its mission as the cantonal church.

3. Within the framework of the constitution and the laws of the state, it independently and autonomously regulates and manages its affairs.

1. The cantonal church is a member of the Swiss Federation of Protestant Churches.

1. The Evangelical Reformed Church of the Canton of St. Gallen works towards collaboration among all Christian denominations.

1. The parish is the bearer of church life. It ensures the fulfillment of the church's mission. It participates in solving cantonal and overall church tasks within the scope of its capabilities.

1. In every church parish, the Protestant-reformed preaching and pastoral care must be ensured.

1. The Existence and Scope of the Parishes are Established by the Church Order.

1. A member of the parish is any evangelical resident living within its bounds or assigned to it, who has not officially declared their withdrawal in writing or stated their non-membership upon taking residence.

2. Admission to and withdrawal from the Evangelical Reformed Church are governed by the Church Order.

1. The parish is a public-law corporation.

2. It is capable of holding assets and is authorized to levy taxes.

3. Within the framework of the legislation of the cantonal church, the parish independently regulates its affairs.

1. The parish may issue a parish ordinance regarding its organization and the fulfillment of its duties.

2. The parish ordinance requires approval by the church council.

1. The church communities are authorized to collaborate in fulfilling their tasks. They are empowered to form joint associations.

2. Agreements between the church communities regarding the joint fulfillment of tasks are to be submitted to the church council for information. The statutes of joint associations are to be submitted to it for approval.

3. If collaboration is necessary and the church communities cannot reach an agreement within a reasonable period, the church council shall take the necessary measures.

1. The Parish Assembly is the highest authority of the parish. It is composed of the members of the congregation who have voting rights.

1. Eligible to vote in the church congregation are those members of the community who possess the right to vote in federal matters.

2. As far as cantonal law permits, the church constitution may also grant the right to vote to

a) Foreigners;

b) Young members of the community who are at least 18 years old.

1. The Parish Assembly is responsible for the care of church life.

2. In particular, it is entitled to

a) Elect the members of the church council and the president;

b) Elect the members of the audit commission;

c) Elect the delegates to the synod;

d) Elect and, if necessary, dismiss the pastors;

e) Supervise church administration;

f) Approve the annual accounts;

g) Approve the budget and determine the tax rate;

h) Issue a parish ordinance;

i) Make organizational decisions for each term of office;

k) Decide on the purchase, sale, exchange, or mortgage of real estate, the granting of building rights, new constructions or major renovations, accumulation or use of funds, and taking out loans for extraordinary needs of the parish;

l) Decide on joining special-purpose associations;

m) Approve arbitration agreements.

3. Elections and resolutions according to paragraph 2 items d, h, k, l, and m require approval by the church council. The church council must be informed of elections according to items a and c.

1. The Parish Assembly is chaired by the President of the Church Council.

1. The parish assembly generally exercises its powers through open voting.

2. Requests for the dismissal of a pastor may only be decided by ballot voting.

1. Appeals against elections and resolutions of the parish assembly may be filed with the church council within 14 days as a cassation complaint.

2. Grounds for cassation are considered to be violations of law and procedural defects that occurred during the official preparation or execution of an election or vote and have been, or could have been, decisively influential on its outcome.

1. The church council is responsible for the development of church life in the congregation as well as for promoting charity and mission.

2. It directs and supports the carriers of church services and offices in the fulfillment of their duties.

3. It implements church laws and resolutions and manages financial matters. It elects the employees of the church congregation.

1. The church council consists of the president and at least four additional members.

2. The pastors elected by the parish assembly are ex officio members of the church council.

1. All voting members of the congregation are eligible to be elected as president and as members.

2. The pastors who belong to the church council by virtue of their office are not eligible to be elected as president.

1. The church council constitutes itself. It elects a vice president, a secretary, and a treasurer.

2. The pastors who are members of the church council by virtue of their office are not eligible for election as vice president. The vice president may simultaneously serve as secretary or treasurer.

3. The church council may delegate the duties of the secretary and the treasurer to non-members. If these individuals attend the meetings of the church council, they have an advisory vote.

1. The Audit Committee shall consist of at least three members and at least two substitute members. It shall constitute itself.

1. The Audit Committee examines the accounting and financial affairs of the parish as well as the legality of the conduct of the church council.

1. The Audit Committee submits a report to the Church Parish Assembly annually on the results of the audit.

1. The Pastor is a trained and ordained preacher of the Gospel, responsible for service in the congregation and additional services. The Pastor fulfills this role through preaching, baptism, and the Eucharist, as well as through pastoral care and instruction. The responsibility for church life, as well as the promotion of charitable activities and missions, is shared by the Congregational Pastor with the Church Council.

1. Eligible to stand for election is anyone who possesses the certificate of eligibility for election from the Concordat Examination Authority in accordance with the Concordat on the mutual admission of Evangelical Reformed pastors into church service.

2. The church council may grant eligibility for election based on certificates that are equivalent to the certificate of eligibility for election from the Concordat Examination Authority, based on several years of church service, or based on a theological-scientific examination ordained by it.

3. The church council reports to the synod on the granting of eligibility for election.

1. Further Provisions on Ordination, Election, Status, Terms of Employment, Resignation, Dismissal, and Disqualification from Eligibility are Reserved for Legislation.

1. The parish communities, associations of churches, and the cantonal church can delegate other preaching and diaconal tasks to church members who are trained for this, either as a main or secondary occupation.

2. The synod may provide for the ordination of the holders of these services and offices.

3. Article 29 applies accordingly.

1. The canton is divided into the following church districts

a) St. Gallen, encompassing the political districts of St. Gallen, Rorschach, and Gossau;

b) Rheintal, encompassing the political districts of Unterrheintal, Oberrheintal, Werdenberg, and Sargans;

c) Toggenburg, encompassing the political districts of Gaster, See, Obertoggenburg, Neutoggenburg, Alttoggenburg, Untertoggenburg, and Wil.

1. For each church district, a dean and a deputy are elected from among the clergy serving in the community service.

1. The Dean represents the cantonal church in the cases designated by the church council. He is available to offer advice to the parishes on all matters of ecclesiastical life, particularly regarding the exercise of the pastoral office. He mediates in disagreements and tensions between the church leadership and the pastor, as well as between parishes. He stands by the pastors as a spiritual advisor.

1. The pastors residing in a church district form the pastoral chapter.

1. The Parish Chapter addresses questions of theological or ecclesiastical interest. It may be invited by the Synod, the Church Council, or the Church District Assembly to provide an opinion on such questions, or it may also present its views to these instances on its own initiative.

1. The parish chapter constitutes itself. The invitation to the constitutive meeting is issued by the dean.

1. The church wardens and the synod delegates of a church district convene for the church district meeting.

1. The Church District Assembly addresses supra-congregational tasks. It may provide opinions on church matters for the benefit of the church communities and the cantonal church.

1. The Church District Assembly constitutes itself. The invitation to the constitutive meeting is issued by the Dean.

1. The cantonal church establishes the legal prerequisites for vibrant parishes and promotes their unity and cooperation. It maintains or supports cantonal and regional pastorates and other offices

2. as well as works of charity and mission. It supervises and promotes the education of religious teachers. It participates in solving ecclesiastical tasks that extend beyond its territory.

3. The organs of the cantonal church alone are responsible for external relations.

1. The financial expenses shall be covered from

a) the yield of assets as well as the foundations and funds;

b) the central tax;

c) the state equalization contributions;

d) donations and bequests.

1. The Evangelical Reformed Active Citizenship consists of all voting members of all parish churches within the cantonal church.

1. Adoption and Amendment of the Church Constitution are subject to a Mandatory Referendum.

1. Subject to the optional referendum are

a) laws and generally binding resolutions enacted by the Synod;

b) agreements with other churches in Switzerland, insofar as they are of a generally binding nature;

c) Synod credit decisions, insofar as they exceed minimum amounts specified in the church constitution.

2. Two thousand active Evangelical Reformed citizens may demand, within 30 days from the date of the resolution, that a decree subject to the optional referendum be put to a popular vote.

1. Through an initiative request, four thousand evangelical-reformed active citizens can demand the amendment of the church constitution, the enactment, amendment, or repeal of a law, or a resolution not falling under the final jurisdiction of the synod.

1. The initiative petition can be submitted as a simple proposal or as a fully elaborated draft.

2. The initiative petition must be clearly formulated and may only concern a single enactment.

3. The initiative petition may contain a withdrawal clause.

1. If the synod approves the initiative request, in the case of a simple proposal, the corresponding enactment must be drafted and submitted to a referendum. In the case of a fully drafted bill, the enactment is subject to a referendum.

1. If the synod rejects the initiative petition, it must decide whether to submit a counterproposal to the active citizenry or not. In the latter case, a public referendum must be ordered without further delay. If a decision is made to draft a counterproposal, it must be submitted for a vote simultaneously with the initiative petition after being approved by the synod.

2. If the active citizenry approves an initiative petition submitted as a simple suggestion, the synod must pass a corresponding decree, which is subject to a referendum.

1. The Synod is the highest governing body of the Cantonal Church, representing the active citizenship of the Evangelical Reformed Church.

1. The Synod is elected by the church congregations from the entirety of voting members of the cantonal church. It consists of 180 synod members.

2. Each church congregation is initially entitled to two seats. The remaining seats are distributed among the church congregations in proportion to the number of their members, insofar as this number exceeds 1500. The decisive factor is the officially published result of the last federal census.

1. The synod is entrusted with the responsibility for maintaining the vitality of the evangelical faith. It is responsible for the legal order and for the organizational structure of the church and oversees the fulfillment of the cantonal church duties.

2. Its specific responsibilities include

a) Election of the members of the Church Council and its president;

b) Election of the church clerk, with the Church Council having the right to make the first nomination;

c) Election of the delegates to the Swiss Protestant Church Federation and their substitutes;

d) Election of the delegate to the concordat examination authority and their substitute;

e) Election of the deans and their substitutes;

f) Issuance of a church constitution and other ecclesiastical laws;

g) Conclusion of agreements with other churches in Switzerland, insofar as they are generally binding;

h) Resolutions regarding credits and guarantees of the cantonal church;

i) Determination of minimum salaries for pastors and the salaries of cantonal church authorities and officeholders;

k) Oversight of the official activities of the church boards and pastors;

l) Supervision of the official activities of the Church Council;

m) Resolutions on the acceptance of the Church Council's official report;

n) Approval of the annual financial statement;

o) Approval of the budget and determination of the central tax.

1. The synod adopts its own rules of procedure.

2. It has a quorum when the absolute majority of the synod members is present.

3. The proceedings in the synod are generally public. The president and members of the church council have an advisory vote.

1. The Synod ordinarily convenes twice a year.

2. Extraordinary sessions can be convened by resolution of the Synod, its bureau, the Church Council, or upon written request by at least one-fifth of the Synod members.

1. The Church Council consists of the President and six other members. All active evangelical-reformed citizens are eligible for election.

2. The President and members of the Church Council cannot simultaneously be Synod members, Dean, Church Secretary, or Central Treasurer.

1. The Church Council constitutes itself. It elects its vice president, its committees, the central treasurer, and the ecclesiastical delegations.

1. The Church Council adopts its own rules of procedure. It may provide for committees within these rules to prepare or handle business matters.

1. The Church Council governs the Cantonal Church, executes the laws and resolutions of the Synod, and represents the Cantonal Church externally.

2. In particular, it is responsible for

a) Electing those cantonal church authorities and officials, or those proposed by the Cantonal Church, whose election is not expressly reserved for the Synod;

b) Submitting proposals to the Synod for all matters that fall within its remit;

c) Approving regulations and resolutions of the parish communities;

d) Supervising the activities of church boards, pastors, and all authorities and officials it has elected or proposed for election;

e) Exercising oversight over the church educational system at all school levels;

f) Ensuring the further education of pastors and religious teachers;

g) Deciding on appeals against elections and resolutions of parish assemblies;

h) Deciding on complaints in disputes that arise within a parish community or between parish communities.[25]

1. The financial authorities of the Church Council are established in the Church Constitution.

1. The Church Council is accountable to the Synod for its administration. It provides an annual report on this matter.

1. The term of office for church authorities is four years.

1. Following each complete renewal, the term of office for the Synod begins on June 1st, while that of all other authorities begins on July 1st.

1. The fiscal year coincides with the calendar year.

1. Whoever loses membership in a parish community shall be excluded from church community authorities.

2. Whoever loses membership in the cantonal church shall be excluded from cantonal church authorities.

1. In the church council, the audit committee, or the church board, the following individuals are not eligible to be elected simultaneously: spouses, father or mother and son or daughter, siblings, father-in-law or mother-in-law and son-in-law or daughter-in-law, brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, as well as spouses of siblings.

2. The disqualification that arises from a marriage remains in effect after its dissolution.

1. If no provision can be derived from ecclesiastical law, the cantonal St. Gallen legislation concerning the citizens' assembly, the voting by ballot, the referendum and initiative, as well as administrative legal procedures, shall apply mutatis mutandis.

1. This church constitution shall come into effect once it has been adopted by the active citizenry and sanctioned by the Great Council.

2. Elections conducted prior to the coming into effect of this constitution shall retain their validity until the end of the term in the year 1974.

1. With the entry into force of this Church Constitution, the Basic Law of January 9, 1922, shall be repealed.

2. Likewise, all other church laws, regulations, and ordinances shall lose their validity to the extent that they contradict this Constitution.